Scandinavia has a lot to answer for when it comes to my music collection.....


Firstly their is Myrkur with her self titled mini album. Full of blast beat drumming and icy guitar this is pure Norse black metal but from the fevered imagination of one Danish woman.....


Vocals are minimal but there are occasional pastoral female voices making this a cross between a church recital and the sounds of hell. If Myrkur is responsible for the drums here then she is on a par with Iggor Cavalera or Dave Lombardo though I suspect a drum machine may be in use....


The highlight is Nattens Barn with melody and brutality fighting for the ascendancy - Quite a stunning debut










 Secondly there is Solstafir from Iceland who have released my song of the year. Otta is a nine and a half minute journey through some very odd minds.


The song is underpinned by a repeating banjo refrain whilst slowly building like some post rock epic. There are echoes of Mogwai and Blueneck but this is very singular in its sound. Half way through it just sort of stops with only washes of keyboard and guitar confirming the song is still going. Like listening to a glacier moving but then the banjo returns and the music rises again.
The voice strains towards a crescendo while violins join in and suddenly it's over....


And did I forget to mention it's all sung in Icelandic ?

Ah, the return of Shovels & Rope is most welcome.... Swimming Time is a much different album though to the stunning debut of O' be Joyful


Whereas the debut was a thrilling ride akin to drinking moonshine at a hillbilly wedding the follow up feels like drowning your sorrows with an after hours bourbon after realising you really did marry your cousin....


The Devil is All Around is a very downbeat opener but all the ingredients are there from the banjo, harmonies and what sounds like a home made drum kit....


Evil does what the title say - huge slabs of ominous down tuned organ and an insistent piano until it all give way to the first earworm chorus of the album Fish Assassin on the other hand is a less than 2 minute blast based on nothing but hand claps and a bit of percussion..... "making noise with the alligator boys" indeed


Stono River Blues adds another killer chorus with the addition such full on electric guitar while Ohio goes full out with horns borrowed straight from a Mardi Gras parade


Mary Ann and One Eyed Dan is the closest song in feel to the debut album, a sort of twisted doo-wop version of Jack & Diane.....


The final song is called Thresher and over 7 minutes deals with the slightly depressing story of a crippled submarine sinking to the bottom of the ocean. The background choir almost give it a gospel feel and as the song fades only the ping of the submarine is left to slowly disappear over the final 45 seconds. - Perfection


The album ends a lot stronger than it starts but this is still another quality release from a very talented duo.

Apparently I bought some album called Songs of Innocence....


Unforgivably three of the first five tracks have brackets in their title, the album cover must have taken 30 seconds to design and the music is by U2


So here's the review - it's probably going to be bollocks but then I've got no real intention of ever listening to it

There are occasional albums where even after repeated plays you're still not sure if it's genius or a pile of fetid dingo kidneys.....


I bought Celestite by Wolves in the Throne Room on reviews suggesting they were a black metal band heading towards prog.... Heading ??? this is so far out the other side you have to wonder what the reviewers were listening to.


Track names are unimportant as this is technically one long ambient piece of music. Everything appears to be played on synthesisers borrowed from Jean Michel Jarre in the 80's. The tracks also lack any percussion or drums but there is some flute and horns among the swirling ambience.


It's like listening to the intro from Shine on you Crazy Diamond  but the guitar never arrives or maybe a drone version of Tangerine Dream.  Occasionally some crashing guitar chords emerge such as in the delightfully named Initiation at Neudeg Alm but this only emphasises the glacial pace of the music...


Your enjoyment of this will depend on whether you have a need for melody or tune in your music or more likely your choice of recreational drug






As an aside I bought a two track BBC session from Wolves in the Throne Room recorded  in 2011 and its percussion heavy, guitar laden and with vocals borrowed straight from the Norwegian black metal scene. All of which makes Opeth's so called progression look pitiful in comparison....

Every summer there's always one new album you buy to take away on the holidays to listen to on the beach.... And as usual my choice is completely inappropriate for lounging round the pool


The Secret Sisters are actually sisters and Put Your Needle Down is Americana from the Deep South laced with a bit of gospel and American gothic


The opener Roll my Bones, a song about one very horny woman, motors along like a cross between Footloose and the band Lone Justice


The standout track of Iuka follows - a story of a pair of young lovers running away from an abusive redneck father. It's dark, percussive with a wailing violin adding a really eerie feel. Unsettling but compelling


The harmonies between the sisters are used sparingly and occasionally the track veer to close to Doris Day or pure Nashville (Lonely Island and I Can't Find a Way being prime culprits) but there are gems to be unearthed.


The Pocket Knife weirdly seems to steal its opening riff from a Seth Lakeman track and Dirty Lie is the American cousin of Amy Winehouse's Back in Black


Bob Dylan were so taken with this band he provided an unreleased song (Dirty Lie) and PJ Harvey also contributed a track


The album ends on the River Jordan, a proper southern revivalist gospel song with plenty of tambourine and it just dares you to add your own hallelujahs....


All in all a really fantastic little discovery

Insomnium have returned and Shadow of the Dying Sun doesn't disappoint..... Still musically brutal but with melodies any AOR band would shave their heads for


The vocals are still mainly of black metal genre, low and growling but the use of a second vocalist providing clean vocals raises the band above the (blackened) masses.


While we Sleep is a perfect example of what this band does - propulsive drumming reminiscent of the Iron Maiden gallop, a mix of vocal styles, a short acoustic interlude and even a full on guitar solo to end which wouldn't sound out of place on a Marillion album


The stunning single Ephemeral turned out to be a great taster for the album while Revelation and Black Heart Rebellion are harder and faster than the last album ever was


There are surprises such as Lose to Night which drops the pace and adds an almost crowd like sing-along chorus. The title track also adds a spoken word section and another catchy coda as the song build towards the end


Once again this band breaks through all the stereotypes associated with Scandinavian metal to produce another magnificent album that matches their masterpiece album One For Sorrow from a few years back.....

The problem with Crippled Black Phoenix is every new album needs approaching likes its a new band (which invariably it is !)


And so to the latest White Light Generator which bizarrely starts off with what seems to be a Cliff Richard outtake from the late 50's The two part No! soon brings back the Floyd influences and crashing percussion.


From then on it's bleakness all the way - track titles like Lets Have an Apocalypse and You'll Be Murdered give you the idea. I can't say I particularly like the new vocalist  and there is no light relief to be had with the music whereas in the past there's been a Journey cover or Vic Reeves sample


Northern Comfort would be the stand out track with some middle eastern female vocals added some much needed colour


CBP seem to produce some truly amazing albums, I Vigilante or No Sadness Or Farewell and  followed them up with a lesser effort such this album or Mankind the Crafty Ape (I know I gave it a great review but it didn't stand up to repeated plays). If the pattern plays out again then the next album will be something to behold